Had a very oops moment with my trailer a couple of weeks ago. One of the roadwheels came off while I was doing about 40-50 MPH. Trailer was unladen at the time, but obviously the hub and the suspension will have had quite a shock.
There is no obvious damage and I was able to get home once i'd re- fitted the wheel.
What checks can I do (it's indespension type suspension) to see if anything needs replacing, and what if anything would people recommend replacing anyway? Hub bearings? Hub? Suspension unit?
As Mrs Beaton might have said today if she were alive: first find out why the wheel came off!
Were the wheel nuts or studs loose - If they were, why?
Did the wheel *and* hub come off the axle as an assembly - if so why?
My first recommendation would be to check the wheel nut studs - and if they are of the type that pass through the wheel hub and the wheel fixed by nuts, knock the out with a big hammer and change them along with new nuts.
If the wheels are fixed by studs screwed through the wheel into the hub, throw them away (if you still got 'em) and replace with new - before buying the new studs, *CAREFULLY* check the threads in the wheel hub for damage and if in doubt, replace the hub (along with the bearing and any seals).
If the wheel and axle came off as an assembly, check the threads on the end of the stub axle and if in poor condition, replace it - and if the assembly did come off, then it would be prudent to change the stub axle anyway (this may involve having to change the whole suspension unit, and from the old indespension catalogue that I have, that may be dependent on the type of unit).
And check everything for dents, cracks and distortion before spending any cash on repairs - as it may be cheaper to buy a new trailer (unless it is a custom built, specialist one).
Hope this helps, and be aware that damage could also have occurred to the tow bar and ball *and* the towing vehicle - so check down that end also.
This is not a definitive list by the way - so check everything before putting the trailer back on the road in a loaded state.
snipped-for-privacy@o2.co.uk was thinking very hard :
I would not expect anything more than superficial damage. An unladen trailer weighs very little compared to the weight they can be filled with. Why did the wheel come off in the first place would be my concern.
I did a whole load of work on the trailer a couple of months back, I took the wheels off when I put them back on I didn't tighten the nuts fully, partly as they would be coming off again, and partly as it would be easier to keep them still once the axle was back on the trailer.
I had to leave it for a couple of months awaiting parts. When I put it back together I managed to reassemble the trailer without taking the wheels off again. I tightened every nut up 'king tight...........except for eight of them which I completely forgot :+((
Heh :-) I tend to leave myself helpful notes when I'm doing things like that - e.g. sitting on the dash where I can't possibly miss it (in the case of a trailer, attached to the tow hitch area I suppose).
That or I simply cripple it in some way so it won't go anywhere without my correcting the 'fault' - which always seems to be enough to tickle braincells into remembering any other things I need to do before use.
These things happen, though - I know several folk who have lost wheels on cars doing exactly the same as you have with the trailer...
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